tarropria[rutt.
NOTES OF A PREACHING TOUR IN
INDIA. 11.
BY R. G. WILDER
ALTA.
As you will not have time to follow
us through the details of each day's labor,
please come at once to Alta. As we rise
out of the valley and gain the highlands,
you may turn your horse's head and take
a parting view of the fertile region We
are leaving. The Pancligunga winds slow
ly some twenty miles through luxuriant
groves and gardens till her silver stream
is lost in the broader Krishna: The
whole panorama is dotted with villages,
nestling in shady evergreens, their local
ities distinctly defined only by the white
domes and minarets of their heathen
temples. Do you find your soul moved
with earnest longings that the reign of
these idol gods may cease in so fair a
land, and the hearts of these dark-minded
idolaters be lighted up with the sweet
hopes of the * Gospel ? Then send us
men and means for prosecuting this work
of God with more efficiency.
A short gallop over the hills brings us
to our camp. Alta is a pleasant village,
a shire town of 3,312 inhabitants, planted
amidst majestic old trees, in a fertile
basin, surrounded with hills. Its domes,
minarets, and profuse foliage are just now
bathed in the soft golden rays of the set
ting sun. The people gather in crowds
at our approach, and we have another
precious opportunity for declaring God's
loving message, which is heard with wil
ling ears, and, so far as we are able to
learn, for the first time, at least within
the memory of the present generation.
Dec. 25. A Sabbath Christmas here
among these superstitious idolaters, not
one of whom can feel the slightest sym
pathy with the sacred memories it recalls
to us. But how can we better spend it
than in telling them of HiM who was
born in Bethlehem and died on Calvary
to save them ?
Our first audience, some 150 of the
most influential men of the place, is in
the court room of the Mandetdar, and
the interest is sustained two hours.
Smaller parties come in succession to
our tents, and night finds us weary and
hoarse from some six hours of earnest
preaching.
Dec. 26. We here find the first school
sustained by government- in any of the
villages on our route, and, at the teacher's
request, we spent two hours examining
and addressing the pupils. The people
have little idea of the value of education.
No girls are allowed to attend, and only
31 boys are in school, where there should
be at least 150. But these few are in
telligent, and show good progress. The
villagers crowd in and make up an audi
ence of some o 300, who listen fixed
attention so long as my voice and strength
hold out.
And now let us visit the celebrated
temples for which this place is famed.
The late Colonel Graham, (then political
agent here,) writing of Alta, in 1854,
says :—" This is one of the few places
in Western India where the devotees of
Shiva believe they can immolate them
selves * * * under a certain prospect
of entire happiness in a future state.
Within the-last eight years the victim
has been more than once found in the
morning weltering in his blood, with the
sacrificial knife lying beside him," &c.
Probably Col. Graham was not aware
that a fresh victim was immolating him
self at the very time be was thus writing.
One of our mission teachers learned the
fact and informed me of it then, but the
Brahman officials of Kolapoor for some
reason denied it. Here on the spot,
however, the village officers confirm it
without hesitation, and give us full de
tails.
The victim was a pilgrim from a dis
tance, who spent several months in daily
devotions at these shrines, till one morn
ing he was found prostrate on the em
blem of Shiva, his head nearly severed
from his body. On the wall of the tem
ple were a few lines, written in -a large
bold hand, stating his purpose to sacrifice
himself to the god ; that he did it of his
own free will, and the
. priests were in
nowise responsible, and expressing a
wish to be buried in a particular locality.
The people point out to us the temple,
the wall on which he wrote, and the en
trance to the inner sanetton where he
killed himself.
There are some dozen temples, most
of them communicating- with each other
by subterranean passages, cut through
rock in the bowels of the mountain. The
temples are situated about a mile from
the village, at a point where a deep ra
vine juts far back into the side of the
mountain. The cave portions of the
temples are evidently of Budhist origin,
while the massive superstructures show
that they were built or modified by the
Jains before they came in possession of
the present race of Brahmans.
It is ivenderful how the different phases
of false religions commingle or slide into
each other,.inveterate as each one is in
its antagonism to Christianity. Even
the Mussulmaus in this region have their
idolatrous rites, while the Hindoos may
be seen bowing down at the mosques in
honor of the false prophet of Mecca.
Some of these temples are dedicated to
dluni Pritbhoo, but most of them to
Shiva. They are so constructed as to
have largo bodies of water within the
temples and surrounding the altars, not
stagnant, but orignating in perennial
springi, and slowly percolating through
rock-heiAm viaducts till the purpOse of
the architect is accomplished, and the
dispersed waters then reunite in a moun
tain rill below. The sanctum sanctorum
of each temple is gained only by passing
through these reservoirs of water. In
reaching the innermost shrine of Shiva
the victim had to pass through two such
bodies of water up to his neck, and into
a dark recess far in the bowels of the
mountain-, lighted - only 'by a dim
taper, always burning before the
god, or rather his emblem ; for only the
vile ling is there. Before this ling he
placed himself in such attitude that when
he gave' his neck the fatal blow his body
fell across it.'
As we retreat from these gloomy re
cesses with saddened feelings, they take
us down along the rivulet, ancl._show us
the tomb of the victim in the locality he
desired. It has a covered space, open on
one side, , in which is duly established
the odious ling, smeared with red lead
and oil, and covered with fresh flowers,
showing the bigotry and vigilance of the
devotees who daily worship him as a
god, and emulate his self-immolating
zeal.
With niy knowledge of the tenets,
teaching, and tendencies of Hinduism, I
do not wonder at the horrid rites of Sut
tee, infanticide, and self-immolation.
Unnatural as they are, they are the
natural result of such a religion, and I
apprehend that instances of all these enor
mities are much more frequent in India at
this present time than is generally sup
posed. Nothing but the Gospel of Christ
can ever permanently suppress them, and
this will not till the church of God rouse
herself to more earnest effort.
We find.a good number of readers in
Alta, and a demand for our books. These
are readily purchasedat nominal prices ;
among them two New Testaments,
though the works most in demand are
story books, such as "The African Girl,"
" Jane, the Young Cottager," and "The
Dairyman's Daughter," the two latter
translated some years ago by Mrs. Wil
der, and published by the "Bombay Tract
and Book Society."
But I must close abruptly, hoping to
send you a few more notes of our tour
by next mail, if I can find time to make
them legible. •
The news of President Lincoln's re
election-has just corne. Glorious news!
Devout thanks to God for this victory !
LEX TALIONIS.
EDITORS AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN :
Permit one of your lay readers to thank
you for the bold and hearty utterances of
your paper, touching the ifrogress of the
war and the proposed "pacification" of
the country of which we read so much in
political papers ; especially I thank God
for, the witness you bear to the great
providential objects of the war, in the
editorial of your last issue, entitled " The
'Public Consciencp." We often marvel,
while reading the Gospels, at the blind
ness of the disciples, in relatiiin to the
mission of their Master; so now, we
often wonder at the stupidity - of, our
organs of public opinion - in not perceiv
ing that such and such things, of suffer
ing and trial, "must needs be." How
few they are who generalize and cor
rectly apprehend great principles ! This
truth is strikingly illustrated by a re
mark of Chaplain Stewart, in a recent
letter, touching the rightfulness or
necessity of retaliating upon rebel - pris
.oners, the cruelties suffered by our men
at the hands of the Confederate govern
, ment. He says:
"While our released prisoners were getting
on board the vessels awaiting them, another
steamboat came up the-river, and landed a
thousand rebel prisoners in exchange for• ours
just received. Hale and hearty were they,
and ail giving evidence of kind treatment and
good feeding. Honorable contrast this in be
half of our Northern Christianity. Excitable
people with outraged feelings may talk and
argue about retaliation upon rebel prisoners,
yet is the thing not about to be done. We
cannot afford such a costly experiment It
would do terrible violence to the benevolence
of our people. The rebels must have an en
tire monopoly of this starving business."
Now in all deference to our good
brother, whose sympathies are producing
such blessed fruits in the army, I pro
pose to briefly examine his theory, in
the light of reason and revelation.
Of course my strictures are not so per
tinent or practical now, when both
armies are exchanging the men as fast
as taken, as previously, -when no ex
changes of any kind were possible.
The reader will perceive that the Chap
lain grounds his objection to retaliation
upon the fact that " it would do terrible
violence to the benevolence of our
people." I answer, so does every hang
ing for desertion, every wounding dr
killing which takes place in battle. All
these things are shocking to our "benev
olence," and if they were 4eft to the
mere feeling of either side, nothing of the
sort would happen. But great princi
ples (good and bad) lie beneath the
sympathies of both combatants. These
principles must rule, and have their
play, until God, in his providence, ends
the strife. Brother Stewart says, "the
experiment of retaliation is a dear one,
and we cannot afford it." Permit me to
ask, •can we afford to feed, and add new
vigor, to those whose sworn business is
to fight us, while, at the same time, we
permit to be starved those who are
pledged to defend us and our cause ?
It is not a matter of sympathy with
the rebel government, but of business.
It PAYS them to starve our soldiers out
of the service, while theirs are fatted up
for the final struggle. That this is the
rational theory of their practice is abun
dantly showil — bk their unwillingness
that we Shouhf feed our men while in
their hands. Thousands and, thousands
of our poor prisoners in their hands have
died because of the timidity, or weakness,
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1865.
of our rulers, for not answering the . rebel
leaders as did Washington, when the
British proposed to hang some Continen
tal prisoners as condemned traitors.
" For every man you hang we will hang
two Englishmen," said Washington.
General Butler showed how easy it was
to cure a similar evil. Whenthe " rebs"
set his black men to work, (instead of
treating them as prisoners); he put a
like numbeftf the " chivalry" to work at
the Dutch Gap, and the matter was
remedied at once. So at Charleston,
with the officers " under fire:" The
mercy and " benevolence" that Chaplain
Stewart speaks of, is like that which
";spares the rod and spoils the child."
It is neither accordant with - Scripture,
reason, or experience, --
If Jeff. Davis & Co. had ordered their
men to shoot all prisoners, doubtless we
should. have followed' the:same rule; in
spite of "benevolence ;" but when they
expose them, plundered of their garments,
to starvation and the elements, why—
then—we—don't " retaliate," but " turn
the other cheek," etc ! This is neither
mercy, gospel, nor common sense. People
say, retaliation is not Christian-like. Very
true-; neither is war. It is not Christian
like to shoot men on- the field of strife,
or destroy their food and clothing.
These things are necessary, however,
because an appeal has been taken from
the gospel, to "the wager of battle."
War is the play of • moral, intellectual,
and physical forces, under the hand of
Divine. Providence ; and the severest
form of• warfare allowable by the common
law of nations is the most merciful mode.
This is fully shown by the success of
Sherman's policy over McClellan's.
The chaplain's theory iS like that of the
sentimental opponent of capital punish
merit, who says, "the worst use you can
make of a man is to hang him ;" forget
ting that the primary Object of punish
ment has little reference to the murderer
himself, but mainly sinks, through the
fear, of death, to secure society from
future hoinicides. Feelir c ig and "benev
olence" are good things n their places,
but entirely wasted o slaveholding
rebels. \ A.
NOIRISTOWN, PA. (
CHAPLAIN ARMSTRONG'S LETTER,.
LOUISVILLE N.Y. March 31,:1865
DEAR BROTHER M.EARS : doubt 'not
it is worth all the cost of, trial and hard
ship in life, to receive the precious les
sons and the higher wisdom which hard
ship and trial - bring. And I believe,
further, that could those lessons 'and that
wisdom have been purchased at a less
cost, the Great Father would . have given
them at the reduced price. But men
must live through some things in order
to understand them, and in order to be
able to appreciate some other precious
things that hinge only upon the experi
ence.
WhO knows what it means ? My
brother, I know that you are a worker,
and know what it is be tired, and then,
I presume, to lie down and sweetly
sleep till, the new, glow of life coming
back, the old is young again 'and the
weariness is gone. This, too, I have
known from my boyhood, but test, never
till the last fifteen days. No man knows
what weariness is,—weariness that ex
hausts soul and body, heart and life, till
he has been at least six months a soldier
in the field; where there is no home,
no friendship and love, and no social
life, where there is no civil law and
peaceful rule, where there is no Sabbath,
and in the hearts and on the tongues of
men, unless profanely, no God ; where
there is no safety, but life is daily in
jeopardy. Then add to this condition
of things, all the privations and labors,
the trials to the flesh, the troubles of
things that are, and the fear of what
may be, these, one and all, bring a sense
of weariness that must be experienced
to be known.
Now through this crucible passing,
one is fitted to understand what rest
means. Let Uncle Samuel decree for
one a " Wave of absence," and let him
fly - to the scenes his heart yearns for.
First, he is at home, and that is rest
into which heart and soul enters as never
before:- There everything is sweet and
clean, and that indeed is rest. He lies
down and -sleeps in sweet, clean sheets.
He has slept long on the ground or any
where. Ah 1 this is rest. Home sounds
are in his cars, and thrill his soul.
Loving kisses burn upon his lips. Little
hands clings to his own, and all above,
around, within, bids him rest. - He
obeys. His soul rests.
The Sabbath ' comes—(so long un
known). Its very peace and holy quiet
bid him rest. Its bells invite to high
and holy rest. He goes up again to the
house of God, and. as he goes, love and
confidence greet him. He enters the
sanctuary, (all the' more precious if it be
his own. dear church, and his own loved
pu/pit—one only spot on earth more pre
cious)--its praises, its prayers, its
solemn throng, all bid him rest, and
peace, like a deep rolling river, fills his
-soul.
But twenty days' leave is gone like a
dream, and I am on my way again to
the front. Before this letter reaches
you, you will have heard that Wilson's
Cavalry has gone from 'its late camp,
probably South, im search of the Con
federacy. None can yet, tell where. I
wait a little here, for orders, not know
ing by what route I shall be sent to the
command. By the way,' I judge that
this expedition, under Major-General
Wilson, must include nearly one-half of
his Cavalry Corps, and that entire, can
,
not be short of forty thousand men, and
this I believe to be the finest body of
cavalry in the world. Its appointments
are as nearly perfect as may be. It
goes
.to represent Uncle Samuel at the
South.
MY FIRST AND LAST SABBATH IN THE
Just before the golden haze of the last
autumn came on, just after Sherman and
Hood had decided the fate of Atlanta, I
first joined my regiment--a novice in
the art of soldiery, and ignorant of all
the life and duties of an army chaplain.
I found them camped temporarily away
up among the hills, five or six miles east
of Marietta, Georgia, and some fifteen
north and west from the city of Atlanta.
The first day after my arrival, at eve
ning, came the order to prepare for a six
days' active scout. This was at the
opening of Hood's great " flanking move
ment." (?) The command (i. e. the bri
gade) was rationed from Marietta, and
foraged from the surrounding corn fields,
and on Saturday morning, one of the last
days in September, 1864, we marched,
my first day's march. From the early
morning, we halted but once (about half
an hour) till 9 o'clock P. M. The last
four or five hours' march was performed
in a heavy storm of rain, and when we
halted we. were - ordered to make coffee,
but not to unsaddle, as we were close
upon a heavy body of the enemy's cav
alry. Heavy pickets were posted, and,
lifter -a little reconoissance, we fed our
tired beasts and lay down upon the
ground to rest.
As we had no tents over us, the rain
of the night disturbed our rest. But
protecting ourselves as well as we could,
and, as I discovered, as only soldiers
learn how to do, we passed the night,
sleeping soundly. Morning found us
somewhat rested, and the entire com
mand, except pack mules and baggage of
camp; were ordered to scour the region
some eight or ten miles in advance, and
ascertain what force of the enemy was
there. After a hard day's work, with
some skirmishing, the men returned at
3 o'clock P. M. and bivouacked- for the
night. Just before the sun went down
the bugle was, sounded in front of the
head-quarters of the regiment, and the
men came about me to the number of
three or four hundred, and as they sat
on the ground or upon logs and stumps
about me, I spoke_to them for the first
time of Christ the dying Lamb. The
regiment had been in the field two years
and upwards, and, with perhaps two or
three exceptions, in all that time had en
joyed no religious' service. The evening
was pleasant, the sun came out and
smiled upon the scene; the air was mild
and balmy, and as our voices went out
in songs of praise, and our hearts went
up in grateful worship to 'God, the whole
scene became to us very sweet and im
pressive. Many a tear stood out upon
the face and told of a heart of - stirring
sympathies within. It was a breaking
of the monotony of camp life. It earried
many back to other and peaceful days,
and_ to all it was a delightful hour.
So passed my first Sabbath in - the
army—in the morning, all was hurry;
at noon, there was active skirnlishing;
and as the evening closed in,we were
all united in the worship of our Father
and our God.
SIX MONTHS LATER
On the very summit of one of the high
hills (almost high - enough to be called
mountains) near Gravelly Springs, Ala.,
and very near the State line between
Alabama and Mississippi, and only a
few miles south of the south line of Ten
nessee, was the camp of the 4th Michi
gan Cavalry. It was on the right bank
of the Tennessee River, and almost the
centre of General Wilson's Cavalry
Corps.
In January last, this whole region was
a ragged, woody, forbidding wilderness,
and oue might hardly have expected
that in a single month these neighboring
hills would be converted into so many
populous cities; but so it was, and occu
pying eight different peaks or hill-tops,
were the eight different regiments of our
(the 2d) division.
Our hill was the one of peculiar inter
est, for this for the time was our city,
our home. Here, in a few days, the for
ests had melted away, and the soldiers'
houses (log huts, with canvass roofs and
mud chimneys,) appeared. The brush
was burned, the ground thoroughly po
liced, and soon our city was indeed quite
inviting. Cleanly, neat, and orderly, to
the eye of a soldier it became decidedly
attractive. But the finishing stroke to our
camp city was the erection. of a chapel.
With a detail of soldiers, I went into the
woods, and felled trees and drew them
to a conspicuous spot, the most elevated
and commanding in all the camp, on the
extreme left of. our parade ground, and
there we built a log cabin, 22 by 33 feet
in size, and covered it with a canvass
roof, furnished us by the Christian Com
mission From the trees we split out
slabs and made seats. We went to a
saw-mill in the vicinity and drew loads
of saw-dust, with which we carpeted the
chapel. We covered the ends with
shakes which we made from the logs,
and when all was done, we had achapel,
which from the first we began to love.
Here, from the first day, we came to
gether to praise and pray. In camp, the
men were employed generally through
the day, but every evening found a
goodly number in our little chapel.
Thus God was with us, and his favor
helped us. Our continuous service how
held until the 26th of February. This
was my - last Sabbath in camp. In the
morning we met for a preaching service,
and had a happy waiting before God.
° Then at 3 P. M. the chapel was full
again; and at that hour fifty-three sol
there of our command stood up and co
venanted together before God to be
thenceforth soldiers of the cross of
Christ, and together we commemorated
the dying love of our Lord. In the
evening we met again, and spoke fami
liarly of our hopes, and fears, and
duties. We lay down . that night feel
ing that the day would long be remem
bered.
Late in the night of that Sabbath,
perhaps 'at midnight, an orderly rode
up to head-quarters, bringing orders.
After he had gone, we quietly called out
to the adjutant—" What orders ?" He
replied, "We move on the 28th"—this
was the 26th. Our heart was sad.
Then our meetings were at an end.
But no complaining. We are here to do
military duty, not to lie at ease. -So on
the morrow, though it pained our hearts,
we, took off the roof of our dear little
chapeVand prepared to march. Every
body guesses but nobody knows where.
I had held a leave of abience in my
pocket some four or five weeks, which I
had not used, because while the com
mand was in camp I could work—this
was my harvest time. So I remained
that I might work. Now that my par
ticular work was done, I might run
home to look after interests there that
Were very precious.
• I have seen home ; enjoyed its soul
refreshing rest a few days—like a bright
&earn of an hour—so now, as I halt,
with the harness on again, I am writing
a word.
My brother, ere you shall hear from
me again, or I shall see another number
of your welcome sheet, may the first
glad notes have gone forth—the notes
of joy—a nation emancipated—a nation
free, and peace come again.
P. S. Since I wrote you last I have
found another proof of the loyalty (?) of
Kentucky. Oa the Bth inst., while on
my way home in the cars, at 12 o'clock
P. M., a black and threatening night, I
was startled out of a sleep by a volley of
musketry opened upon the train. The
train was long, and heavily loaded with
passengers, and fearful were the moments
as volley after volley, from probably
twenty-five guns, were poured in upon
us, and the rattlino- b of glass and splinter
ing ceilings told how critical was our
position. A few guards on. the cars
promptly returned the fire. This tem
porarily checked that of Kentucky's
loyal sons ; but presently we observed. a
new rouble. These loyal citizens had
kindly set fire to a bridge just before us.
But our engineer, nothing daunted,
4lowly crept up to the fire with the train,
and finding that it had not yet much
injured the bridge, crowded slightly'upon
the heap of burning rails. They yielded,
and were so displaced that we went on
across, carrying some of the burning
rails between the bars of the "cow:
catcher," till we reached Elizabethtown,
a distance of some three miles. Thus
we escaped robbery, at least; and pro
bably those of us who chanced to wear
the Federal uniforraT . KE'O'w — firds
these citizens seem particularly attached),
the fate of our lamented brothers, Sherk
and McCormick.
I trust that a righteous God Fill deal
justly with Kentucky. Surely his mercy
to us was signal on that dismal night=
in that, among so many passengers, no
serious casualty occurred. .
1 6alltt.
SPURGEON. Sermons of Rev. C. H. Spur
geon. Preached at the Metropolitan Ta
bernacle, London. Eigth series. New
York, Sheldon & Co. 12mo. pp. 372.
For sale by Smith, English & do.
This new series of sermons from the
popular author are characterized with
the same freshness of thought, the same
simplicity, directness, and earnestness of
style, and the same homely and effective
treatment of the great truths of the evan
gelical system, which have made the
name of Spurgeon so justly famous and
honored in the Church. There is also
the added notoriety of prolonged contro
versey attaching to some of these ser
mons, the first being the famous discourse
on Baptismar Regeneration. From the
second discourse we take an extract
which will be felt to be peculiarly ap
propriate at this time in our city.
tOls ORO iD#s;O:1;-CilifilloOtruiw):11t41.1•4
•
Dear little one, Jesus will not desplw your
lispings, nor will his servant keep you back.
Jesus calls you ; come and receive his bless
ing. If any of you say a word to keep the
young heart back, Jesus will be displeased
with you. Now I am afraid some do that'
those, for- instance, who think that the gospel
is not for little children. Many of my breth
ren, I am sorry to say, preach in such a way
that there is no hopeWf children ever getting
any good by preaching. I cannot glory in
learning or eloquence, but in this one thing I
may rejoice, that there is always a number of
hippy- children here, who are quite as atten
tive as any of my audience. 1 do love to
think that the gospel is suitable to little chil
dren. There are boys and
.girls in many of
our Sabbath-school classes down below stairs
who are as truly converted to God as any of
us. Nay, and if you were to speak with
them about the things of God, though you
should get to the knotty points of election
and predestination, you would find those boys
and girls well taught in the things of the
kingdom; they know free will from free
grace, and you cannot puzzle them when you
come to talk about the work of Jesus and the
work of the Spirit, for they can discern be
tween things which differ. But a minister
who - preaches as though he never wanted to
bring children to Christ, and shoots right
over the little ones' heads, I do think Jesus
is displeased with him.
Then there are others who doubt whether
children ever will be converted. They do not
look upon it as a thing likely to happen ; and
whenever they hear of a believing child, they
hold up their hands at the prodiy, and say,
" What a, wonder of, grace V' it ought to
be, and in those-churches where, the gospel
is simply preached, it is as common a thing
for children to be converted as for grown -1 1P
people to be brought to Christ. Others begll
to doubt the truth of juvenile conversions.
They say, "They are very young—an they
understand the gospel? Is it not merely an
infantile emo6nn, a mere profession ?" My
brethren, you have no more right to suspect
the sincerity of the young than to mistrust
the gray-headed ; you ought to receive them
with the same open-breasted confidence with
which you receive others when ' they profess,
to have found the Saviour. Do, I pray you,
whenever you see the faintest desire -in your
children, go down on your knees, as your ser
vant does, when the fire is almost out, and
blow the spark with your own breath ; seek
by prayer to fan that spark to a flame. Do
not despise any godly remark the child may
make. Do not puff thy child up on account
of the goodness of the remark, lest you make
him vain, and so injure him, but do encour
age him ; let his first little prayers be noticed
by you • though you may not like to teach
him a form of prayer—l shall not care if you
do not—yet teach him what prayer is ; tell,
him to express his desires in his own words,
and when he does,join ye in it, and, plead
with God on his behalf, that your little one
may speedily find true peace in a Saviour's
blood. You must not, unless you would dis
please my Master, keep back the smallest
child that longs to come to Christ.
HAPPY VOICES. New Hymns and Tunes,
with Many Popular and Sterling Old Ones,
for the Home Circle and Sabbath-schools.
Published by the American Tract Society,
New York. For sale by H. N. Thissell,
929 Chestnut Street. Pp. 176.
An excellent collection, worthy of the
general attention of Sabbath-school
teachers and choristers. The peices fur
nished by Rev. A. A. Graley, compris
ing both words and music, are gems in
both respects. The deep evangelical
tone of the words, and their eminent
adaptedness to awake and cherish serious
thoughts in the minds of children, appear
also in the music, both parts of the piece
seeming to have flowed in one gush from
the mind and singing heart of the ac
complished author. The variety of
pieces is very great. We notice among
other novelties, the Turkish national air,
as sung by Rev. H. H. Jessup, arranged
to the favorite words, " Just as I am."
It makes a very substantial long metre
tune with a certain richness and gravity
about it, ;likely to give it a pernianent
place in our musical collections
C. S. A
MAGAZINES AND PAMPHLETS.
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN. AND
THEOLOGICAL REvIEw, April, 1865.
Contents: The Westminster Assembly,
by Philip Schaff, D. D. ; The Messiah's
Second Advent, by. Edwin F. Hatfield,
D. D. ; Missionary Interference at the
Hawiian Islands; The Government of
the Primitive Church, by George Sidney
camp, Esq.; Queen Candace : Acts viii.
27, by I. C. M. Laurent; The Hymns
of the Church, by 'Henry Harbaugh,
D. D. ; Schelling on the Characteristics
of the Different Christian Churches;
Duns Scotus as a Theologian and Phi
losopher, by Dr. I. E. Erdmann, Profes
sor of Philosophy in the University of
Halle; Exegesis of Rom. ii. 18, and
Phil. ii. 10, by Rev. F. A. Adams;
Criticisms on Books ; Theological and
Literary Intelligence ; Ecclesiastical Re
cord._
BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE, March, Con
tents: The Right Honorable William
Blake: Miss Alajori-
banks, Part 11. ; Sir. E. Bulwer Lytton's
Poems ; Guy Neville's Ghost; Etoniana,
Ancient and Modern, Part IL ; The
Tuft Hunter,; Piccadilly, an Episode of
Contemporaneous Autobiography, Part I.
NINTH ANNUAL REPORT of the Union
Temporary Home for Children, read be
fore the Society January 26, 1865.
LITTELL 7 S LIVING AGE, March 31,
1865. Contents: Passages from the
Life of a Philosopher; Clever Woman of
the Family, Part XVI. ; Emily Chester
Don Carlos and Philip 11. ; Anglopho
bia; How Ireland was Governed in the
Sixteenth Century ; Professor Wilson ;
Poetry; Short Articles.
THEOLOGICAL ECLECTIC, March. Edi
ted by- George E. Day. ,Contents: How
to Use the Gospels ; The Christian
Church and Social Improvement-
THE NORTH BRITISH REVIEW, Feb
ruary, 1865. New York, Leonard Scott
& Co. Contents : The Rise and Pro
,
gress of the Scottish Tourist; Epigrams;
Spain ; Tests in the English Universi
ties ; Typography of the Chain of Mont
Blanc; Essays in Criticism; The Holy'
Roman Empire ; John Leech.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE AMERICAN
SUNDAY SCHOOL UNION, and of its Con
tributions to Popular Education in the
United States.
THE - UNION TEMPORARY HOME FOR.
CHILDREN, located at the N. E. corner
of Poplar and Sixteenth streets, has re
cently issued its NINTH ANNUAL REPORT,
from which we learn, that at the com
mencement of the year, the institution
contained seventy children, thirty of
whom were the children of soldiers.
Notwithstanding a visitation of one of
the most malignant of diseases, only one
child died in the Home last year. The
affectionate and faithful care of the
matron, Mrs. Eliza Mallery, is referred
to in the Report as, under God, the
means of securing this happy result.
Under the special pecuniary difficul
ties of the times, the HOME has not been
without special experiences of the liber
ality of its friends. Mr. Robert Rath
bun gave them fifty-five tons of coal,
which the Reading Railroad carried' free
of charge. Mr. E. W. Clark, one of the
Board of Counsel, and Treasurer of the
Board, offers $l,OOO towards extinguish
ing the mortgage of $lO,OOO on the
property, provided the remaining $9OOO
can be raised. The receipts of the
year were $5,350 85. Expenditures
$4,982 67. Balance $368 18. Mr.
John C. Parr is President of the
Board of Counsel, and a large number
of the best Christian ladies and gentle
men of.various denominations are en
gaged in the management.